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When
I was much younger and attending university in my home-town of Sydney
(in those days a much smaller and less busy place), I was allocated a
particular lecturer who prided himself on being an atheist. "Religion
is something for weak people, those who cannot think or live for themselves".
Arriving at his first lecture this man proudly announced that with a few
premises, sub-conclusions and a watertight conclusion, he would prove
beyond any doubt that God did not exist. It went something like this:
God
is assumed to exist.
This
God is said to be all-powerful and all loving
However,
Evil also would seem to exist
Either
God cannot or will not remove evil from this world
If
he cannot, he is not the all-powerful one
If
he will not, he is not the all loving one
Evil
exists in this world
Therefore
God does not exist!
This argument is in fact nonsense. However, the fact that it was
used at all does reflect something of the confusion of this world and
of the people who live in it.
Well, what does this have to do with our topic "Satan the
Great Deceiver"? It is at the very heart of this statement. As Christian
people, we know that God and evil are far more complex than this little
argument can express. We know by faith and experience that God is not
only real, but that he is the reason that the universe continues to exist.
Sadly we cannot forget the other reality that is so ridiculously dealt
with by this argument - Evil does exist, it is not imaginary or simply
the result of an 'argument'.
The Macquarie Dictionary defines the word 'deceit' as:
1.
"The act of practice of deceiving; concealment
or perversion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; fraud; cheating."
2.
"An act or device intended to deceive; a trick;
stratagem."
The word 'deceive' as:
"To
mislead by a false appearance or statement; delude".
This is exactly the starting point for our topic. Satan is the
great deceiver because he is the greatest concealer, the mightiest perverter
of truth, the ultimate misleader, and the most convincing fraud and liar.
Satan's goal is two pronged. He wishes to convince us that God is neither
all-powerful nor all loving, and that he, Satan, seems to be something
he really is not.
I am not seeking to answer the age-old problem of evil in this
world, nor will I even explain (or should I say try and explain) the existence
of evil. What I wish to share with you is my feeble attempt at highlighting
the work of Satan at work around and within us. This will not really be
a lecture. It is an attempt to uncover Satan like we might uncover a serpent
hiding beneath a rock or expose a camouflaged insect hiding in the foliage
of a tree.
I cannot possibly add to the already vast writings about evil and
Satan that we have from so many writers of the Church. I can however take
you all through a journey of Scripture and Church texts which show how
much a trickster Satan is. Satan is real and he is at work, it is this
we need to keep in mind. We must remember to keep our eyes on God, and
yet never to leave Satan free to cast deceit in our lives. His ultimate
purpose is to keep all of us from the Kingdom of Heaven. To do this, he
will use everything in his power. Be warned he is the master of disguise
and the master of surprise!
I want all of you to use your imagination. I want you to imagine
that you can see the spiritual world with your physical eyes. If you could
look around with those now spiritual eyes you would angels and demons
walking about us seeking their influence upon us. The old cartoon image
of a man in the midst of making an important moral decision with a small
angel on his right shoulder and a small demon on his left is not that
far from spiritual reality at all.
In the Orthodox Church we are encouraged to pray a prayer to our
guardian angel to guide and protect us through our daily life; see, for
example, the order for 'Evening Prayers' in the book "Book of Prayers:
A Selection for Orthodox Christians" from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
of Australia. Likewise we are told of the influence of demons whose purpose
is to deceive us - to take our attention away from God who can save us.
"And this is the promise that He has promised us - eternal life"
(1 John 2:25, RSV).
What of Satan in the Scriptures, what do we know of him - this
Satan, the great deceiver? God created spiritual beings called angels.
These beings, although having no physical aspect to their being, are nevertheless
real and effectual in their work in both the spiritual realm of Heaven
and this physical environment of our universe. These angels have different
responsibilities and actions. In many places of the Scriptures we read
of Cherubim, Seraphim, angels, archangels, Principalities, Powers, Thrones,
Dominions etc. Some of the archangels are named - Uriel, Michael, Gabriel
and Raphael. In the Scriptures, these beings are not some impersonal force
simply being the expression of God at work in this world. Angels form
a very real part of the history of God's work of salvation in this world.
The Archangel Gabriel figures prominently in the account of the Annunciation.
The acceptance of her who is to become the Theotokos is to the action
of God is to be means through which God brings salvation to the fallen
world.
Just as the angels are real and significant in Holy Scripture and
the story of God's salvation, so too are the fallen angels, the demons
and Satan himself. Evil, it would seem, has appears and takes its place
in this world. We need to be careful here concerning the origin of evil.
That topic is one beyond the scope of this talk this evening and certainly
beyond my capacity as a member of this sinful and fallen race. Lucifer
or Satan is not a story invented to explain why this world is not perfect.
He is not some figure invented so that we may have a focus for discussion.
Satan is a distinct spiritual being with a distinct and evil personality
who works in opposition to God. The very real and personal being who is
Satan is at the very heart of some important passages of Holy Scripture,
and also in the writings of the Fathers of our Holy Church.
It is important for us to look at what the Holy Scriptures tell
us about this figure called Satan. I will not tried to give an exhaustive
'concordance' of Biblical references to the words 'Satan' 'Devil' and
'demon'. There are, however some references that are important to understanding
the nature of the Devil, and relevant to us this evening. Scripture shows
us this deception that Satan tries to use upon those who claim allegiance
to God.
In Jude verse 6 and 7 we read of his entry into our world:
"And
the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper
dwelling have been kept by him (that is the Lord) in eternal chains in
the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day; just as Sodom and
Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and
indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment
of eternal fire".
There is a hint here of a truth we have learned from the teaching
of our Church (see Revelation 12:7ff). Satan was once an Archangel - The
bearer of the light before the throne of God (that can be a translation
for the name Lucifer). This archangel was not content with his position
in the order of the spiritual world. He desired the worship that was due
only to God himself. Satan and all the angels that followed him were cast
down from heaven to "deceive the whole world".
From this extract from Jude's epistle we can learn:
1.
God has chained Satan and
his demons. They are restricted by the power of God.
2.
God will judge The Prince
of evil on the last day - The Day of Judgment.
These are important truths that need to be impressed upon us. Satan
and his demons are ultimately to be judged by God. The righteous of God
can be deceived, but deception involves the will of he who is being deceived.
If the righteous man stands firm in faith, then Satan has no hold over
him!
From the Old Testament Book of Job, we read that there was a man
in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and
upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil. There were born
to him seven sons and three daughters. He had seven thousand sheep, three
thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses,
and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people
of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each
on his day; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat
and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course,
Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning
and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job
said, "It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their
hearts." Thus Job did continually. Now there was a day when the sons
of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came
among them. The LORD said to Satan, "Whence have you come?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and
from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have
you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth,
a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?"
Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nought? Hast
thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every
side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have
increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that
he has, and he will curse thee to thy face." And the LORD said to
Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself
do not put forth your hand." So Satan went forth from the presence
of the LORD.
There are many truths we can glean even from a casual reading of
this poetic and beautiful passage of Holy Scripture:
1.
Job was an upright man
who turned away from evil.
2.
Without doubt God is the
master here.
3.
Though Job is a righteous
man, he can still be tempted by the deceits of Satan.
4.
Satan, through the evil
world can inflict pain and suffering upon Job, but Job is ultimately in
the hands of God.
Now we cannot make doctrine from just a couple of passages of Scripture,
but these verses do illustrate clearly what God has revealed to us in
his Church.
Satan has no control except the power of deceit. He seeks to lead
us away from God; he tempts us to lose our focus. Like the experience
of Peter, walking on the water in front of our Lord, Satan seeks to have
us sink into our own raging sea of doubt and fear (see Matthew 14:25f).
We sink, not because Satan defeats God who is with us, nor because of
the pain and suffering of this evil world, but because we are led to believe
that either God is not with us at all or that God is not what he says
he is. This is deception, deception of the greatest of tricksters.
St Peter the Apostle warns, "Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour"
(1 Peter 5:8).
Satan is truly prowling around us with his demons. He seeks to
influence and deceive us even here within this Holy Church. Remember,
he is not a 'roaring lion' he is 'like a roaring lion' he is only pretending
to be something he is not. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
I would like to share with you an illustration that we have all
seen. It is a visual rendering of the passage of Scripture that speaks
of the 'two gates' from Matthew's Gospel:
"Enter
by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads
to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow
and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few
(Matthew 7:13-14).
There is an illustration you can buy as a small religious picture;
it is a famous illustration. It is a comparison of two scenes. In one,
we find a demon playing a musical instrument to accompany countless people
entering into a wide gate by an equally wide and easy road. The se people
walk past all sorts of buildings housing all sorts of pleasures. Sadly,
even though the gate is wide and the way easy, the eventual destination
is hell itself.
In the other scene there is a high wall broken only by a very narrow
and low gate, and into this gate squeeze only a few people carrying their
cross on their journey. The road three this gate is very difficult, with
rocks and obstacles along the way. The path leads up a steep mountain.
The eventual destination here is heaven and a crown of glory being presented
by Christ. The relevant Scriptural passage here is "Enter by the
narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction,
and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way
is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
This picture illustrates exactly the words spoken in the Scriptural
passage. Life is a journey, it tells us. We must decide which road to
take. Each road is entered through a gate. One gate is wide and easy,
the other is difficult and requires great effort. Each gate leads to a
road, one easy and comfortable, the other hard and steep. One leads to
heaven to the very person of God and reward - salvation, the other to
hell and the very teeth of the person of the devil.
Look carefully at this illustration it can teach us much. The many
that enter into the wide gate do so because the way is easy (requiring
no real effort of life). There is music and there is song, laughter, entertainment,
comfort and no lacking of physical things. The demon playing the musical
instrument does so openly. He does not seek to disguise his presence or
his identity.
These people belong to the world and therefore to Satan, because
they have allowed themselves to be deceived. Yet this deception is no
great miracle or magic. Satan does not have to play a great ruse. He merely
has to offer the temptation of comfort and pleasure without God and the
world will come and take it from his very hands.
I was rather troubled while doing some research for tonight's presentation.
I decided to type the words 'Satan', 'Devil' and 'demon' into the search
area of my Internet search engine. Match after match came up. Some of
these were useful articles or commentaries on passages from Holy Scripture.
Others were lectures and essays about various theories concerning the
existence of evil. However, many were the web pages of Satanic Churches
(so called) and organisations that sought to spread the influence of Satan.
You may be surprised that these organisations practise their evil work
so openly. As I said previously, Satan does not have to hide from the
world, it is already given over to him. The world has rejected God and
embraced Satan as the great redeemer.
The most cunning deception of Satan lies not through the wide and
easy gate, but through the narrow gate. Look closely at the man (one of
only a few) who is carrying his cross in fulfilment of the command of
our Lord (c/f Matthew 16:24). If this man would use his physical eyes,
he would see that it is impossible for him to enter this gate even without
the cross he is carrying. Common sense, worldly sense would convince him
that his intended lifestyle is not achievable.
Satan is at work in our minds and hearts as we contemplate this
spiritual scene. He is saying to us that not only is the Christian commitment
difficult it is unattainable! Satan's attack upon us as Christians is
to try and deceive us into giving up the Christian struggle. As Christians
we are encouraged to believe that the improbable walk up the steep path
of our Christian journey is not by our own power, but by the presence
and power of God (see Matthew 19:26). Satan deceives by telling us that
we must rely upon ourselves, and therefore Christianity is futile.
All of us, I am sure, would claim allegiance to the resurrected
and ascended Son of God. The closer one is to God and the Kingdom of heaven,
the stronger and more deceitful Satan must become. In many of the spiritual
writings of the Church we find accounts of Holy men and women who have
been confronted with the most horrifying visions of evil.
Satan plays out his deception according to the faith and life of
those that he is tempting. To some who are far from God or who do not
know him at all, there are no wondrous tricks, miracles or great signs
and wonders; there is no need for such things. For others who are close
to God, Satan must work hard to deceive - for these he will even attempt
to copy the very power and glory of God himself.
Many atheists within this world (like the university lecturer whose
silly games we started with tonight) arrogantly proclaim that they are
more than happy to believe in God if only someone would prove that God
exists. Yet it is often these very same people who are so willing to place
their lives into the practice of open evilness, of destruction or hatred.
Have you ever thought about that image of Satan that we see in
advertising and in the movies, the one where he is depicted as a troublesome
comical figure in a goatee beard, a red suit with horns and a pointing
long tail. In his hand he holds a trident with which he pokes people in
an almost amusing way. This image is ridiculous, and even we, the Christians,
might see it as a harmless parody. However, the truth is that it is a
depiction of Satan. He is not shown in a disguise as someone he is not.
He might seem humorous and even comical, but he is still openly Satan!
Satan does not have to hide from the world; he is already master of it.
His deceit is an easy one.
The greatest deceit, the great victory of Satan is not that he
is leading a willing world to destruction, it is that he is, sadly, often
able to deceive and lead astray the Christian person who is struggling
to be transformed more and more into the image of Christ (see in particular
Rom 12:2). Satan deceives the Christian by convincing him to take his
attention off Christ. To become doubting of the power and promises of
God.
How do we resist this deceit? What is the response of
the Christian person to the wiles of the Devil? Again the Holy Scriptures
are clear. The two Epistles of St Peter the Apostle that are contained
in the New Testament are wondrous builders of faith. In the introductory
notes that we find at the beginning of the Second Epistle of Peter in
the Orthodox Study Bible (New Testament and Psalms' New King James Version;
Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee 1993), there is a marvellous
summary of the theme of Peter's Epistles:
"Though
the world disbelieves, deceives and mocks, Christians are to grow continually
in holiness and virtue and pursue an entrance into 'the everlasting kingdom'
which is to come".
The answer for the Christian is to continually seek God and His
Kingdom; to fight the deceits of the Devil, despite the pain and suffering
he can cause, with a faith founded upon the All-powerful and All-loving
God.
Be reliant upon God and His holiness; be close to His Church, receive
often the Sacraments that he freely offers to us. Resist evil and cling
only to God.
From the Epistle of St James:
"Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." (James 4:7-8a).
Satan can only deceive he cannot pluck us out of the hand of God,
he cannot send us unwillingly from the kingdom of God. If God no longer
becomes the focus of our vision and life, it is not He who has moved,
it is that we have taken our gaze from him!
There are three short Homilies by St John Chrysostom (the Golden-mouthed).
These addresses are not well known. They are entitled collectively as
'Three Homilies Concerning the Power of Demons' (as found in an English
translation 'A select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of
the Christian Church'; T & T Clarke Edinburgh 1889). The first is
referred to as being "Against Those Who Say That Demons Govern Human
Affairs" and the second and third "On the Power of Man to Resist
the Devil". We find no graphic depiction of the battle of Armageddon
(as described in the book of Revelations), no portrayal of the Devil as
a figure who has the ability to secretly steal Christians away from God.
No, these sermons were written to:
"...
deal with errors against which Chrysostom throughout his life most strenuously
contended. In an age of great depravity there seem to have been many who
tried to excuse the weak resistance which they made to evil, both in themselves,
and in others, by maintaining that the world (and by implication the Church)
was abandoned to the dominion of devils, or to the irresistible course
of fate" (emphasis is added).
St Chrysostom warns his listeners against despairing because of
the power of the devil.
"For
he (ie Satan) is an enemy and a foe, and it is a great security to know
clearly the tactics of your enemies ... when he overcomes by deceitfulness,
he does not get the better of all men ... he does not overcome ... by
force, yet by deceitfulness" (Homily II-1).
Thankfully, Satan does not deceive all in the Church. The saints,
many of whose icons are surrounding us, can be our examples of faith and
Christian life because they can be our guides encouraging us to continue
with our eyes fixed upon God - the one who brings salvation and life.
"The
Devil is wicked; I grant this indeed, but he is wicked for himself not
towards us if we are wary" (Homily III-1 of St John Chrysostom).
When we sin, we cannot blame Satan or another for our failing.
Our sin is our own because we have committed it by the exercise of our
own power and free will, or by our own lack of faith. Likewise, when one
in the Church falls away from God, we cannot say that Satan's power has
taken him by force away from the presence of God. God forbid that we should
allocate to Satan the power that he so desperately seeks. Our sin is our
own and, likewise, our falling away is our own. We fall away because Satan
has convinced us, through deceit, that our place is not in the Kingdom
of God.
St John Chrysostom is careful to show that Satan's deceits are
many, but his intention is one. He seeks only to make us leave the presence
of our loving God and to prevent us from allowing God to guide us. Satan
seeks this by either convincing us that God cannot do what he has promised,
by tempting us with the pleasures of this world, or by deceiving us to
think that he, Satan, has power which he does not have. The power of Satan
can only lead us from God if we allow him the opportunity to do so.
Some of the other great writers of the Church can be cited to give
us strength against this deceit of the Devil. In these (St Cyril of Jerusalem,
Catechetical Lectures 12 15) we are exhorted to see that 'in the sacrifice
of Christ, the devil has been defeated'. Satan is vanquished already and,
only by deceit, can he lead astray those who are in Christ; tempting them
through promise of treasure, power or letting them fall into utter despair.
We are instructed elsewhere (St Ignatius' Epistle to the Smyraeans
III & IV) to be firm, guarding ourselves from those who seek to influence
evil upon us. Not just to turn away but even to flee from them. We must
understand that Satan has enticed men and women from the beginning. It
is only then that he has him in his power. However Satan is ultimately
bound by the power of God. His power over man is only through delusion
(see St Irenaus' Adversus Haereses). We are to keep our lives fully in
God and not to fall into the temptation that the Devil puts in front of
us.
In the Gospels, Christ uses the common things of life to teach
the truths of God. These well-known things are weaved by him into a story
that conveys God to the hearers. The spiritual writers of our Church followed
the example of our Lord. In teaching their hearers many of these writers
spoke of everyday things, things like grain, fields, birds, and everyday
events from life. Some even used widely known stories to describe the
action of Satan, for example the Fables of Aesop (also see Catechetical
Sermons 21 - 24 by St Gregory of Nyssa).
Our second picture is an illustration is from one of the fables
of Aesop. The fable is called THE DOG AND HIS REFLECTION. It goes something
like this:
"
A dog was crossing a plank bridge over a stream with a piece of meat in
his mouth, when he happened to see his own reflection in the water. He
thought it was another dog with a piece of meat, so he let go of his own
and flew at the other dog to get his piece, too. But, of course, all that
happened was that he got neither, for one was only a reflection and the
other was carried away by the stream".
The
moral of the story is:
"Envy
not your neighbours lot; and be content with what you've got."
We can apply this fable to the Church and to ourselves who see
ourselves as part of it. The deceit here is the reflection that the dog
saw. What he thought was real was in fact only imaginary. When applying
this story to that of the human person we can ask, why do we 'bring ourselves,
by own accord, into subjection to the enemy of this life?' (see Catechetical
Sermons 21 - 24 by St Gregory of Nyssa). What is it that encourages us
to push away eternal life to fall into sin? It is Satan the great deceiver
who tempts us with the imaginary security of a life of wealth, comfort,
pleasure and power - a life without God.
Satan can be seen in this story of our greedy dog, he is in the
stream trying to convince the dog that even though he has all he needs,
there is still more. Alas, this desire is based not on what God has given
us, but on what we image we can and should have. Satan cannot offer the
dog a real piece of meat; he can only reflect the image of the meat that
already exists. Satan's promises of peace without God are false. He tries
to convince us to take his offer by copying the things of God. However,
these copies are not real, there will disappear as easily as ripples do
to a reflection in a stream. Satan does not take the meat from the mouth
of the dog; he does not have to. He only need convince the dog to grab
at more and by doing so lose what he has already been given. He plays
on the greed and pride of the dog. Greed and the constant desire to be
better than those around us is a common way of the world, it is not the
way of a life in Christ. The temptations of the Devil often involve what
we think we should have. The grace that God has given us is enough for
our needs, we should use what we have been given with thankfulness and
not worry about what we do not have.
A third illustration is relevant here. It is another fable from
Aesop concerning a reflection in a stream (in The Stag and the Hounds):
"A
stag one autumn day came to a pond and stood admiring his reflection in
the water.
'Ah' said he, 'what glorious antlers! But my slender legs make
me ashamed. How ugly they are! I'd rather have none at all'.
The stag was soon distracted from his vain musings by the noise
of huntsmen and their hounds. Away he flew, leaving his pursuers a vast
distance behind him. But coming upon a thicket, he became entangled by
his antlers. He struggled to free himself as the baying of the hounds
sounded nearer and nearer.
'At last' he thought, 'If I am meant to die at the fangs of these
beasts, let me face them calmly'.
But when he ceased to tremble, he found his antlers had come free.
Immediately he bounded away, delighting in his legs, which carried him
far away from danger. As he ran, he thought to himself,
'Happy creature that I am! I now realise that that on which I prided myself
was nearly the cause of my undoing, and that which I disliked was what
saved me'.
Satan again lies within the flowing stream in this fable. Previously,
we saw how Satan often deceives us into desiring what does not really
exist. Here the deceit differs. Here the stag is convinced that what he
has is inadequate. Previously it was pride and greed that was the downfall
of the dog. Now we are reminded that vanity and extreme self-resourcefulness
can be fatal. The stag knew what he wanted. However, his assessment of
what was necessary or adequate for him was not right.
It is rather amazing to hear many in the Church say "I would
really like to contribute more to the ministry and life of my Church,
but I don't have the necessary talents to do anything". It's not
a matter of my antlers being just right or my legs being too thin and
scrawny, but it is often a matter of "it would be too embarrassing
for me to contribute anything in my Church youth group". Perhaps
it is "I would really like to say something at my youth group, but
everyone would think I am stupid, or pushy".
All of us have spiritual gifts from God; they were given to us
by God at our Baptism. The Church cannot function properly, especially
in times of need and challenge unless all of its members use the gifts
God has given them. How can we expect the Church to stand fast against
a world that rejects the Kingdom of God when the very members of that
Church are not completely relying upon God?
Thankfully, it is not the combined self-reliance of all the members
of our Church (or our youth group for that matter) that makes us the 'Body
of Christ' (I Cor 12:27). It is the power and grace of God that transforms
the individual members of the Church into the functioning 'Body of Christ'
in this world.
The stag allowed his own vanity and his self-judgment to cloud
his opinion of himself. Satan often deceives the members of the Church
into believing that even God's promises will not be fulfilled in them
because they in themselves do not 'have what it takes'. It is not up to
us, it is up to God!
"But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And
how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless
they are sent?" As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet
of those who preach good news!" But they have not all obeyed the
gospel; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard
from us?" So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes
by the preaching of Christ (c/f Rom 10:14-17).
Satan cannot defeat the Church that is filled with the purpose
and Spirit of God. He will, however attempt to deceive those who are part
of it. The Church cannot be the vehicle of God's salvation in this world
if those who see themselves as belonging to that Church are not going
to use what God has given them because of fear of ridicule, vanity, embarrassment
or pride.
Perhaps our stag should read the verse above that mentions "How
beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news"! In the
end it is the scrawny feet that saved the stag from the fangs of the hounds.
So too, it is the feet that carry the preaching and the teaching and those
who are living out their faith in this world that will save us from the
deception of the snapping Devil - however scrawny and ugly those feet
might appear to be!
Enough for the introduction, now for the real heart of this presentation!
One of the greatest dangers for those within the Church is what is called
'The New Age Movement'. Well, there is a nice red herring you might say.
What has the 'New Age Movement' got to do with the deception of Satan?
It certainly has nothing to do with us who are members of the Church!
Or does it?
Sadly, the 'New Age Movement' in its variety of forms, has influenced
all aspects of life, and even many who see themselves as members of the
Church of God are so easily influenced by this great deception of Satan.
Many see the "New Age Movement" as just a way of life;
living in respect of all creatures, practising non violence, being sensitive,
respecting others right to believe in their particular religion. Nothing
could be further from the truth. The "New Age Movement" is in
fact one of the greatest attempts at deception by Satan upon Christians
today!
The "New Age Movement" is not simply some broad descriptive
title for a range of unrelated philosophies or teachings. It is a highly
organised and motivated movement that, in its least organised form, seeks
to distract Christians from concentrating upon the things of God. At its
most dangerous, it seeks to destroy Christian faith and replace the historical
and theological Christ with a 'new' and 'more relevant' Messiah figure.
In her book "The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow - The New Age
Movement and Our Coming Age of Barbarism", Constance Cumbey seeks
to expose 'New Age' for what it is, a well organised movement. It seeks
to replace established religion, particularly in the West, with a new
belief system that incorporates all beliefs and religions. Although this
book is not a Christian Orthodox writing, it is useful because of its
well-researched material.
"According to New Age sources, the New Age Movement is a worldwide
network. It consists of tens of thousands of cooperating organisations.
Their primary goal or the secret behind their 'unity-in-diversity' is
the formation of a 'New World Order". The Movement usually operates
on the basis of a well-formulated body of underlying esoteric or occult
teachings" (Constance Cumbey, 1983, 'The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow'
Huntington House Inc, p 54).
The "New Age Movement" can be said to be a conglomeration
of various forms and expressions of the above common ideal. On the very
basic level is the sort of universalism that has never been far behind
the preaching of the Christian Gospel. This is the notion that all religions
are really the same and if we can cross-fertilise one to another, then
we will have the perfect world of peace and harmony. It is this strand
of the Movement that expresses the 'common basis' for all religions and
cultures. Each one is seen as being no better or 'no more right' than
the other.
The openly more organised level is a collection of very powerful
organisations that work to a common ideal of preparing for a 'Messiah'
who will come to redeem the world from war, pollution, hunger and every
other problem besetting humankind. It is rather telling that the name
this particular person is often given is "The Bearer of Light".
As we saw much earlier tonight, this can be a translation of the name
'Lucifer'.
Now, I am sure many of us find such information on organised evil
groups as fuel for the development of conspiracy theories, the true identity
of the Anti-Christ etc. However, for Christians to use all their energy
in pinpointing a particular evil work or evil person in this world can
be a distraction from one's own salvation journey. That in itself can
be a deception of Satan; to take our focus away from the person of God.
A far more subtle and potentially more dangerous Satanic deception
lies behind the more basic unorganised expression of the "New Age
Movement". It is not the expression of 'New Age' in the world that
should concern us, as much as its influence within the Church of God.
Sadly we can find particular 'New Age' practices and beliefs even
with many members of the Orthodox Churches. Seemingly simple activities
such as reading one's stars, experimenting with the occult, using 'healing
crystals', practising eastern forms of meditation and certain 'holistic
medicine' practices etc are expressions of what the "New Age Movement"
is encouraging. These things are destructive to one's Orthodox Christian
faith precisely because they seek to take away from the uniqueness and
central importance of Christ and the 'Kingdom of heaven'. Anything that
can do this will also slowly but surely chip away at the prime place of
importance that Christ and the Gospel has in our lives as Orthodox Christians.
I would like to quote from a recent article from the religious
column of a major Australian newspaper:
"There
is a recognition that we will all only ever have the chance to know the
truth completely when we come together with those who are approaching
the truth from completely different and even a contradictory perspective
from ourselves.
"Mahatma Gandhi the great Hindu, suggested that Christ could become
the Way for non-Christians, as well as Christians, if he could be unchained
from the shackles of Christianity."
Now, coming from a non-Christian religion this would be bad enough,
but coming from a writer who claims allegiance to the Christian Gospel,
this can only be seen as part of a great Satanic deception. Sadly I have
found this deluded attitude even among some Orthodox people as well!
Saints of the Holy Church have died for the uniqueness of the message
of the Christian Gospel. Men and women have been tortured and led to horrible
deaths because they refused to compromise what has been the unchangeable
foundation of the Christian faith. The Holy Tradition of our Church is
not something that we can mould, like play-do, according to what the world
wishes it to be.
Constance Cumbey, in her book, uncovers a vast interconnected movement
that seeks a 'New World Order'; this should not surprise us. After all
the world has rejected God. What is troubling about this book, is how
many Christian people pick up seemingly innocent lifestyles and activities
that darken further and further the likeness of Christ within them.
Like so much of the deceptive actions of Satan, individual things
or practices in themselves are not necessarily great evils. However, their
effect taken together in any one particular person can compound into a
serious danger to that person's spiritual life and ultimately to that
person's salvation.
Many of us would remember Fr Tychon, a one time Confessor Priest-Monk
from Mount Athos. We would remember a warm and wise man who is now the
Abbot of Stavronikita Monastery. Fr Tychon wrote a short article entitled
"The Antichrist and the Second Coming of Our Lord". This article
has been translated into English, and is well worth all of us studying.
I would like to quote some of Fr Tychon's conclusions:
"The
activity of the Antichrist and the beast, regardless of how much power
they are allowed to have from God, will never acquire any authority over
the souls of God's servants. As it was with Job '... but God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with
the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it' (I Cor 10:13b).
"Only the conscious denial of Christ deprives man of salvation. No
hidden action or symbol of the evil one can harm or have an influence
on the believer.
Truly, Satan is the great deceiver because he portrays himself
as having power and influence that he does not really have. He is the
greatest trickster because he casts an image that strikes fear and despair
even into the hearts of those touched by the power of God.
Satan deceives because he seems to appear where he really cannot
be and he tries to tempt all people (even the saved), in venturing where
they should not go.
To my university lecturer of so long ago I say, yes Satan exists
and is at work. However, does that mean that God does not exist? On the
contrary, the all-powerful and the all-loving God has given us all we
need to resist and fight against the deceits of Satan.
"Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he
may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.
Be sober, be watchful; because your adversary the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your
faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your
brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little
while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in
Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. To him be
the dominion for ever and ever" (1 Peter 5:6-11).
Amen.
Presented
to the Youth of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
at St Eustathios' Church, South Melbourne Victoria
(Second Archdiocesan District of Victoria and Tasmania)
on Tuesday 23rd November 1999
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